God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it." Genesis 1:28
The wanton use of the natural resources of the earth is not a sacred "right" that we possess. When God said that man should subdue the earth, He was talking about responsible use, not irresponsible pillage.
As we walk on this earth, we tread on God's good earth. Every one of us has to remember that God has not sold us a free and clear title to this earth. He has not gone off to some other part of the universe, leaving us with our own private plaything. We have it from God -- we have His Word for it -- that everyone is responsible to God for the way he or she uses the resources of the earth. We shall either be good stewards, or we shall suffer the consequences. Divine judgment rests on every human irresponsibility, on every area of human life. It is true that we have responsibilities to ourselves, to our families, and to our neighbors. We have a responsibility also toward God for all he has given us to use.
In Christ there is forgiveness. And in Him there is power to live responsibly in the world. In Him there is life, a new kind of life with healthy attitudes toward the world that is now and with hope for what is yet to be.
PRAYER: Lord, help us to respect the world You have made; we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
(Devotions from "The Abundant Life" copyright 1998, CPH. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be printed, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of Concordia Publishing House. Permission is granted for one-time e-mailing of this link to a friend. For information on other devotional material, please contact CPH at 800-325-3040 or visit CPH at www.cph.org.)
Today's Bible Readings: 2 Kings 7-9 James 3
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